Devil's Playground
by Cassandra Grass
Summary: Scared and stalked, Fiona must find a way out of this nightmare but when a mysterious figure shows up, things become worse. And the party's just getting started!
1. Enter: Demon Hunter

"My dolly!" The huge, ogre-esque man yelled at the sight of her.

She gasped at the sight of him and darted to the dining room, nearly tripping.

Her fragile heart was nearly pounding out of her chest, and she could barely keep her breath but she knew...

She knew she mustn't stop running, or she'll meet her demise.

The scared girl scattered into the dining room to a giant red curtain near a large window and hid behind it.

Hot, painful tears rolled down her flushed face, but she kept completly silent.

_boom, boom, boom_

It's him... it's his footsteps... and they are slowly etching towards her.

"My poogley pie!" The man called out, in an innocent tone.

Innocent as he seemed, our protaganist wasn't letting it deceive her.

He would crush her in seconds, amongst other things...

She shook it off, she didn't want to think of such horrors.

_Leave! Just leave! _Her mind raced and raced, everytime a footstep was heard her heart pounded harder.

Grunts and groans popped out of the greasy creature as he looked for his "dolly". No sight of her anywhere.

"Where is you!" He called out as he slammed his fists onto the dining table in a child-like temper tantrum.

This frightened the girl, but she promised herself not to make a sound...

The disappointed giant stormed out of the room whilst mumbling incohearant nonsense.

He was gone, but she had to stay an extra second or two just to be safe.

As she began to relax she noticed something, or rather, someone outside.

It was too far away to get a good look, but it looked like a... young man.

_Come on, Fiona. Get a hold of yourself..._ She mumbled,

_You must be seeing things..._

She watched in awe at her seemingly imaginated being as he was walking towards the big tree,

The one she rescued a near-death Hewie from.

"What is he doing?" She asked aloud, then pressed her hands up against the window and watched intently.

He looked as if he was searching for something around the tree, pacing around it and looking at every branch.

To test out if she's gone mad or not, Fiona pounded a fist onto the window and maybe get his attention.

No luck. Her head drooped in shame.

"Damn, maybe I have gone insane..." She felt her heart sink.

Her eyes made their way back to the tree and the figure was gone, as expected...

But something... was glowing... near where the man was.

"What... is that?" Whether this was also her imagination or not she had to see.

The quite unathletic woman stood up and tried her hardest to run out of the room, nearly tripping again.

She then made it into the guest room, the fireplace aglow with cackling firewood. _Who lit this?_

Disregarding the fire, she made it to the teal back door.

_Please don't be locked... please... _

Her hand trembled on the knob as she turned it... to her relief it was unlocked.

With a swift unlatch and open, Fiona made it outside, with the bitter, cold evening air chilling her every bone.

"Hah..." Rubbing her arms to keep warm, she marched forward down the stairs and towards the tall oak tree.

When she got there, she noticed instantly a... strange, red sigil on the ground. "What on earth...?"

Fiona bent her knees to get a better look. It was a star-like symbol, seemingly glowing.

Something about it chilled her even more, it didn't feel right.

As she stared closer into the sigil, it felt as if an intense stare reflected back onto her.

She cocked her head to the side as she tried to get a grip on what the hell this thing was. Until-

"Huh?" A lizard-like hand appeared out of the symbol, and soon some others joined it.

"What is this? What's going o-" She was cut off by the sound of footsteps running toward the back of her.

Fiona jerked her head back, a red flash rushing by. This caused her to fall into a dirt patch, blinding her for a moment.

All she could get herself to hear were these moaning and screetching noises as she tried wiping the dirt off her eyes.

"Who- what..." She muttered,

"Ay! Are you okay?" A young man called out-

_Is... he talking to me? _Fiona thought as her surrounding was learing into view.

"You alright?" A pair of legs appeared in front of her. She slowly inched her head up...

With a hand reached out, a young, silver-haired man smirked at her.

"A-are you... real?" Fiona hesitated. "Heh!" He scoffed,

"As real as I wanna be, baby." The man swiftly pulled her up, with little force,

Causing her to struggle with her footing.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," He pulled out two guns, one black, one white...

"I got a dance to attend to!"

"A-a... da-" Fiona stuttered around at the sight of his pistols.

He looked back at her, "Yeah, and no chicks allowed." With that, he cocked the handguns...

Three demon-like creatures arised out of the glowing symbol-

"Oho yeah! Three's a charm!" The man whipped a pistol towards one of them-

_BANG_

"Aha, bingo!"

Its body fell motionless to the ground, a gaping hole in its cranium.

The others lunged at him but to no avail as he darted away, shooting carelessly.

"Ah!" Fiona collapsed to the ground, covering her head-

_Who is this, I-I can't be seeing things?_

"Are you even trying?" The gun-toter raised his boot up to the remaining monster's face,

"I've delt with rashes more obnoxious than you." He slammed his foot onto its face, squashing it like an insect.

Fiona, her heart thumping with anxiety, glanced up to the settling dust,

"Man, if you wanna get me riled up at least gimme a challenge. Sheesh!"

He returned his pistols to holsters around his waist, then looked back at Fiona.

She regained her posture and looked in shock at the man in red before her.

"Who are you, exactly...?"

"Y'know, you're lucky you weren't invited to that dance..." He walked casually over,

Sniffing his nose as he looked at the tree, "No class, there wasn't even good music playi-"

"Who are you?" She reuttered, catching him off guard.

"Oh... name's Dante." He grinned. "Hey, is that your place?"

He pointed over at Belli castle. Fiona looked at him in discomfort,

"Hey, nothing to be ashamed of. I mean it's a palace compared to my junkhole."

She placed her hand on her chest and nodded, "I... I don't know where I am, to be honest."

"Eh, don't we all feel that way." He pat her shoulder, "It's freezing out here, wanna show me the door?"

His grin softened. Fiona looked into his shiny blue eyes, feeling a bit weird in her chest, "Yes, certainly."

She walked over and up the stairs, Dante trotting closely behind.

When they reached the door, Fiona heard a weird mumbling noise emitting from the forest behind her.

"What is it?"

"Oh, erm... nothing I guess."

With that, she gently opened the door, back into the cozy, warm guest room.

"Hah, this is more like it." Dante collapsed onto the bed, fresh sheets lining it.

An awkard silence passed until something hit Fiona-

"I... don't think we should stay here."

"Huh? Well why not?" He crossed his legs atop the bed, relaxing.

"We just can't... there's this manic freak after me."

He glanced over, "Well I think any guy would go crazy if they saw you."

"Erm..."

She blushed slightly and stared at the burning fireplace.

"This place needs leash laws..."

Fiona sat down at the foot of the bed, "Hm? What do you mean?"

"There's some dog just running rampant around here, he nearly tackled me..."

She gasped, "Huh! You saw-"

"And lemme tell you this, dog slobber is NOT a nice alternative to cologne."

"Hewie! You found him, where'd he go!"

He shrugged, "Hell if I know, he scampered off at the front of the place."

Fiona's smile faded slowly. "Well, at least I know he's okay..."

"Yeah, well you should keep tabs on him. The guy's all over the place."

She giggled, "Yes, indeed."

Dante smirked a little before starting to dose off.

Fiona watched the bewitching, amber flames dancing in the dark room. She began to smile.

Something she hasn't been much able to do since she was thrown into this madness. Something just felt right.

"Hey."

She glanced back at him, a little startled.

"What's your name?" His eyes sparkled in the flame's light.

"Er, my name?"

He nodded.

"Fiona..."

"Fiona, eh? Suits you."

She looked a little embarrased, "Thank you... I suppose."

"Man, I'm starving. Got anything to eat here?" Dante asked, rubbing his abdomen in hunger.

She shook her head, "I don't really know. I believe the maid is cooking something..."

"Well she better know how to cook some good pizza." He stood up off the bed.

"Wait, where are you going?" She exclaimed and stood herself up, "You can't go out there, he's lurking!"

Dante shrugged, "Nah, he can't be much scarier than a sleep-deprived Patty... trust me."

"Patty...?

"Long story."

He opened the door near the fireplace and carelessly stepped out, Fiona hesitantly close behind.

"Look at that, no boogeyman. Heh heh." Dante sarcasticly remarked as he made his way down the hallway.

He looked around, "So... which way to the kitchen?"

The slightly jittery girl pointed to a small flight of stairs in the corner.

"Gotcha." They made their way down the stairs and to a large, dusty door.

It opened to the dining room and a door inside entered the kitchen.

As they got to the last door, Fiona shivered anxiously to herself.

"Well, it ain't gonna open itself." He turned the knob effortlessly and pranced into the room,

"What's cookin', mama?"

The maid was busy, stirring away at a pot ontop the stove.

He whiffed up the good smell, causing his stomach to growl.

Fiona lightly grinned, trying to ease the tension as the maid did make her feel a bit more comfortable.

Rushing over, Dante eargerly looked into the pot of, what looked like, pasta. "MmMmm..."

"Erm, I think we should let her cook now." Said Fiona, a bit shy.

"Hey, she has a voice! She can tell me to buzz off on her own, besides I get first dibs on this!"

The emotionless maid ceased her stirring and turned to him, "Miss, it appears you have an unexpected guest over..."

Her voice chilled the air, "Shall I prepare a room for him?"

"How about you get back to preparing dinner, I'm starvin'!" Dante asked eagerly, pointing to the pot.

She stared at him for a moment before bowing, "Yes... sir."

His smile quickly turned into a smirk towards the ominous servant.

Fiona took his hand and led him back into the dining room.

"Well ain't she creepy?" Dante remarked in a near whisper.

Fiona sighed.

"I just think she's bored is all. Heaven knows how they treat her here..."

He giggled, "Ah, low wages wouldn't bring a smile to my face either. I should know."

As they shared a laugh, an unheard barking was emitting from the distance...


	2. Enter: Devil Bringer

He was cornered, five demons about to pin him to a painful death.

He had to think fast or he'll end up like the rabbit...

Garnering up courage, he plowed them out of his way; his mouth soaked with a bloody bite.

_Grrrr_

_It was that man, that tall man..._

_He sent these devils..._

Seemingly unaffected by the dog's blow, the demons swiftly swung their scythes in his direction. Nearly slicing him in half.

Thinking fast, Hewie ran for it. There was no way he was gonna be lizard food!

He barked, _Fiona! Where are you? Don't leave me!_

He was lost in the damn forest again, no end in sight.

_That... human... the one that brought trouble._

_Is he here?_

The dog sniffed the ground, picking up a distinct scent... of blood.

_It's the lizard things... I gotta avoid them._

He hightailed to the right, panting vigorously.

_Fiona, where are you? _He barked and barked for his friend, to no avail.

_Fiona-! _Hewie was alerted by a trail of footsteps in the soggy marsh.

Carefully, the dog stepped over to them and gave it a good sniff.

It was a foreign scent, but something in his head told him he knew it...

_Grrr..._

_I bet it's him... I must find Fiona, I must warn her!_

_He... he might be after her, too._

He gust off to the now in view castle, barking for his dear friend.

He nearly made it to the front staircase, but was cut off-

"It's you again. Damn mutt, stay away!" The castle's keeper, Riccardo, wasn't on very good terms with Hewie.

The keeper revealed his pistol, shooting near Hewie's feet.

The dog wasn't taking any chances and ran to the front garden, destroying precious flowers and plants.

"Hey!"

Hewie ran as fast as he ever could, nearly missing an attempt through an open window. He somehow made it.

Regaining breath, he gave the area a good look around-

_It's that smell... I... I can..._

Sudden footsteps boomed through the spaceous hallways, mumbling barely audible.

Hewie listened intently to the human gibberish,

_"garblegarblegarble the girl garblegarble demon garble portal garblegarble key..."_

Something clicked into his head, _This one's after Fiona, too!_

The booming instantly ceased, as if on que.

"It's you..."

In a split second a floating glass sword darted towards Hewie- he being lucky enough to dodge it.

"I won't let you stop me. I'll kill you whether by my own hand," Suddenly three creatures burst through a nearby window-

"Or otherwise." A door slammed in the distance.

_Great! More smelly things..._

The demons looked doll, or rather, puppet-like.

They inched their way closer to the cornered dog, eyes glowing a sickening red.

Hewie just lowered his head, growling...

With a quick whip of his tail, he bulled through the pack of marionettes; they ended up crashing into the walls.

A proud look on his face, Hewie darted aross the hallway to a closed door.

_I have to get this opened someway..._

The dog gave it a good sniff around until noticing a large hole in the wall nearby.

_Ah hah! I hope I can find Fiona in time._

After some tedious crawling and digging, Hewie made it through to the other side.

_Now where am I?_

He appeared to be in another corridor, dark and narrow.

_Hm? _Hewie's ears pricked up at distinct talking.

Carefully trodding through the hallway and keeping a good ear out, he made out some words,

"garblegarblegarblegarble Dante garblegarble"

The dog cocked his head slightly,

_It's him, it's his voice._


	3. Birds of a Feather

"Well, that's how I got here..." Fiona sighed.

Dante, sitting rather comfortably in a dining chair, shrugged.

"Kinda weird you guys crashed like that." He sat up straight,

"But, y'know, you can't remember everything, like ya said. Maybe something-"

A loud crash was audible from the other room.

"What the heck was that?"

"I-I don't know." Fiona answered, wide-eyed.

Dante stood up and walked over to the nearby door, listening.

Fiona nervously glanced at the door, "Do... do you hear-"

"Shh..." He motioned a finger over his lips.

She nodded slightly, a bit nervous.

_Dante... stay out of our way..._

_It's the devil's playground!_

Dante squinted his eyes, then smirked.

"Devil's playground, eh?" He pulled out the longsword behind his back.

"Come out and play, then!"

In an instant, a horde of demons burst through the door, knocking Fiona back onto the ground.

"Ah!" She yelled, causing Dante to look back.

"Under the table, hurry!"

Heading his warning, she fled under the dining table.

"Let's get it started!" Dante took a dive and slashed at them, knocking one over.

The rest lunged at him, biting and tearing into his flesh.

"Whoa-ho, slow down there, dudes. Don't scratch the paint!"

He flung the creatures off onto a wall, slashing and slicing at them.

Blood splattered all over the clean walls, smearing into the rather expensive paintings hanging0.

"Glad I'm not payin' for this..." Dante said under his breath as he swooshed onto another pack.

"Breakdown!"

The scaly creatures' numbers were rapidly decreasing with every blow he delt out, but they seemed endless.

Fiona hugged onto her knees, resting her head on them, "Please... please kill them..." She whispered.

"Jeez, how many of you are there!" Dante impatiently yelled out, slicing two demons in half.

Suddenly, an ear piercing shriek shook the room.

Fiona shut her ears, wincing at the high decibels. "Uhn!"

"Who's that? One of your little friends?" Dante wagged his finger into a creature's face.

_SKAAAWWW!_

A giant, bird-like demon burst through the castle's wall, shrieking and flapping its massive wings.

"Now I'm REALLY glad I ain't paying for this."

Fiona peeked from under the draped the tablecloth, a bit rattled from the noise.

"Sorry babe, I don't think you're invited to this show either. Best keep yourself hidden." Dante pulled two swords from behind him.

She quickly resumed hiding.

_Did you not hear my grunt? You are not wanted here, prawn!_

Dante scoffed, walking closer up to the monstrocity,

"Look, buddy, I dunno what bone- er, feather you have to pick with me," He steadied his weapons,

"But I have a bad headache right now and you and your little posse ain't making it any better."

_SKAAWW! Fool, I'll crush you!_

The young man clicked his tongue, "You can't do that, it'll ruin my new pants!"

The huge demon roared, _I have had it with your sarcasm, DIE!_

It stood up on hind legs, destroying the remains of the wall and lunged towards Dante.

He leaped up into the air and swung the swords, slicing into the giant bird.

Roaring in pain, it fell back onto its forelegs.

_Damn you!_

"What's wrong, pal? You don't know how to dance?" He stabbed the swords into the giant's back, swinging around onto

Its neck, grabbing his pistols and firing them into the monser's face.

He landed on the cracked ground then pulled out a small shotgun, shooting at the massive legs.

The demon swiped him away with its wing, regaining a momentum of strength.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm just getting started!" Dante double jumped onto the creature's head, revealing an electric guitar-esque weapon.

"Let's ROCK!" He began vigorously strumming the guitar, emitting loud, electrical shockwaves.

The beast feriously shook its head, trying to pry him off but to no avail as he danced with the wind's sway.

_Fool! Get off!_

"What, man? Can't hear you!" Dante strummed even louder, the animal becoming dazy from the shockwaves.

As it weakened, he jumped off, facing it in mid-air and belted out one last electrical blow.

_NOOOO!_

Dante landed gracefully onto the grass, the giant griffin collapsing behind him.

With a big grin on his face, he loaded his weapons back into their places.

"Well that was fun."

Looking back at the destroyed dining room, he saw Fiona nervously looking back with a hand on her chest.

"You okay, babe?"

"Erm... yes." She said, impressed at Dante's performance.

He walked back inside, grabbing onto her hand, "C'mon, let's get some grub. I'm starving!"


	4. Blue Moon

"Wha-! It's that dog again!" The tall man said furiously.

Hewie growled menacingly at him, baring his teeth.

_I won't let you get her!_

The human reached for his long blade as he stared at the growling Hewie.

"Hm... who are you protecting, dog?"

_You won't hurt her! _The dog barked, kneeling his head down.

The man before him swiftly pulled out the blade, its metal shining in the dim light.

"It's the girl... it must know her and must know my intentions." He thought, aloud.

The armed human slightly squinted his eyes as an eerie smirk grew on his clear face.

_ARF ARF!_

In a quick instant, the dog lunged at the man but was countered by the blade's swipe, leaving a large cut on his snout.

The dog whined in pain as he was brought back to the floor.

The man twirled the blood off his sword and returned it to its holder-

"Stay out of my way." He then cold-heartedly turned his back and walked out of the room, locking the door behind him.

Hewie ran to the closed door and pawed at it.

_I... I can't let him-_

An open window caught the dog's eye.

It was cracked just enough for him to slip through.

_It's my only way out of here._

He trotted over to the window and hesitantly climbed out of it, luckily it wasn't very high up.

As he regrouped himself, Hewie looked at his surroundings-

_Hm... I'm outside the back, I think._

He sniffed the place over until he came across footsteps.

_These smell like... _

After a sniff or two his ears pricked up-  
><em>Fiona! <em>He gave his tail a wag and happily barked.

His head met the ground again, but he also smelled something else...

_It's that... human!_

The young man he just encountered was trailing her, oh if only he got here sooner.

_Grrr_

The worried canine took a ran in the direction of the footprints and followed them vigorously.

_I'm gonna find you Fiona..._

After some fast footwork, he made it to a big oak tree.

The same one that his dearest friend saved him from a sure death.

The bright moon and tiny stars filled the cold night sky. Death lingered in the air.

Hewie pulled back his ears in worry, _Fiona... I must protect you!_

As he sat there reminincing about his lost companion, a quiet crunching noise was heard from behind him.

"Ah hah! There you are, stupid mutt." It was the keeper again.

Hewie widened his shiny, brown eyes.

"If I kill you, though... I won't find her as easily..." He brought a hand to his chin, thoughtfully.

With quick wit, he pulled out a piece of Fiona's old clothing. The ones she was wearing prior to waking up at the castle.

The hooded man walked carefully to the dog, "Okay, mutt. Find her."  
>He leaned down and held out the torn cloth infront of the dog's nose.<p>

Hewie hestantly stood himself up and gave it a quick whiff,

_Fiona! He... wants to help me?_

The dog cocked his head.

"Go! Find her!" Ordered the keeper.

_Arf!_

The dog followed the scent and ran up to the guest room, Riccardo trailing behind him...


	5. A Ghost's Pumpkin Soup

"Helloo~o?" Dante walked into the empty kitchen, disappointed to find the cook missing.

He held his hands out to his sides, "Where is everybody?"

Fiona stood behind the demon hunter in wonder, looking carefully around her surroundings.

She stepped infront of him to the stove and glanced at the stew pot,

"I don't know where she went off to..."

"Huh." The hungry Dante folded his arms, "Well I'd like to file a complaint on her customer service..."

He sarcastically walked over to the still-warm pot and took a gander inside it.

"It's still got somethin' in it, at least." With that, he grabbed a nearby spoon and scooped himself a taste.

After a few seconds of slurping the reddish, soup-like liquid he began to roll his tongue around to get a good flavor of it.

"Hmm... not bad. It's got an aftertaste alright. Kinda- oh boy." Suddenly his stomach started painfully turning,

"What the-!" He tried to hold back a gag reflex.

Fiona panic-fully watched as she held on to his shoulder, "Oh my, are you okay!"

He looked up at her with a weak smile, "Oh yeah, I'm alright but I don't think my gut is-" He held back another gag.

"I-I think I just need to lay down." He started for the door, holding onto his abdomen.

Fiona closely trailed behind him, and opened the rusty door.

"You can rest in the guest room, c'mon." She said in a soft tone as she gently held his hand.

They slowly walked up the stairs, Dante's stomach emitting strange gurgling noises with every step.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Fiona asked when they made the last step.

Dante shook his head, "Yeah, baby. Just to lay down for a second is all." A reassuring grin perked his face.

The worried girl nodded and led him to the cozy Guest Room. The fireplace was still burning, but a lot more dimmly than last time.

The exasperated young man hastily made it to the bed where he collapsed and instantly dosed off.

Fiona had a worried expression on her face as her hand suppressed her chest.

"Well, I hope he'll be okay." She walked up to the bed and covered the snoozing Dante in a fresh sheet.

"There. At least he'll be cozy for the time being-" _ARF ARF!_

Fiona was cut off by a familiar barking-

"Oh, is that Hewie!" She ran out of the room,

"Hewie, boy! Come here!" She called out to him.

The dog's noise began to become more and more audible the more she yelled.

"Oh yes, he hears me!" She excitingly exclaimed, "Don't worry boy, I'm here!"

Soon the barking faded and there was cold silence.

"B-boy?" She looked around anxiously.

Then, little pawsteps filled the emptiness and Hewie walked in through an open door, a scared look on his face.

"Oh Hewie! What's wrong boy? Come here." Fiona ordered him, but the dog just lingered in the doorway, very ghost-like.

She looked on, a dreadful feeling filling her. Why wasn't he coming?

"Good boy, now run along you beast!" An all too familiar voice chilled the atmosphere.

The shocked girl retreated a step as she kept a sharp eye on the shadows that dwelled behind Hewie.

Sure enough, a hooded man stepped out of them, a ghastly smile across his face.

"Fiona..."

She shook her head slightly, stepping back more. "No... n-no..." She glanced over at her dog, a shameful look on his face.

"Boy! Help!" Fiona called, to no avail. The canine seemed to be under a spell or something.

"Heh heh, sorry Fiona. I'm its master, it answers to me." Riccardo coy-ishly explained.

She began cowering more, forgetting of the stairs behind her.

The keeper cleared his throat, "You should watch your step, my dear."

"Huh?" Fiona asked, taking a half -step back.

She wobbled at the flight of stairs below her, "Wha-what?" She was cornered.

Hewie whined as he nervously watched his vulnerable friend... he had to do something.

"Come with me, Fiona. Everything will be just fine." Riccardo tried to comfort, his rough voice tingling Fiona's eardrums.

"I...I can't. I just can't."

He reached out a hand, "Sure you can, now please..."

Suddenly, Hewie ran up to them and lunged at the keeper's back, biting into it hard.

"Ah! Damn you!" Riccardo tried to shake the determined dog off.

Fiona got a huge adrenaline rush and took off down the stairs, running into a small storage closet.


	6. Better And Better

As Fiona frantically searched for a box or cranny to hide inside of, she suddenly heard a big thump from above her followed by a whine.  
>"Oh no, Hewie!" She knew she had to help him, but could she do? Her mind was completely racing,<br>so much she nearly lost her balance, causing her to tip over something with a shatter.

With that, a shining object graced her vibrant, turqiose eyes. "What's this...?"  
>The object, on top of the remains of the red vase she knocked over, was shaped like a ball but as Fiona grapsed it,<br>it felt noticeably heavy. Inside the ball-like object was a red and powedery substance.  
>Above her, the sound of gunshots and struggle filled the echos, Hewie was in danger and this ball was the only chance of a weapon Fiona had<br>at using. "Hewie!" Exclaimed Fiona as she hurriedly ran up the large staircase, eyeing her trusted companion  
>and also the Gounds' armed keeper.<p>

Hewie, laying and whining in pain on top of the castle's hard marble flooring, looked up to see Fiona on the staircase-  
><em>Fiona... Run...<br>_Riccardo snickered to himself and reeled back his leg to give _that damn mutt _one more blow for good measure,  
>"You should have stayed out of my way, mutt-" "HEWIE!" Fiona cried, throwing the round object as hard as she could in the<br>direction of the hooded keeper, "Wha-" The keeper looked up to see a small object flying right towards him.  
>Trying to avoid the line of fire, he pushed himself towards the nearby door, "No!"<br>Too late, the powder had already bursted all over Riccardo, causing him to real back in great pain. "Arrrgh!"

Fiona then rushed over to the incapacitated, white canine. "Hewie, Hewie it's okay boy!" The teary-eyed girl gave her  
>furry friend a warm hug. <em><br>I can't believe you saved me... Fiona... I'll never forget this._  
>The wounded but grateful dog began to slowly wag his tail.<p>

Fiona soon noticed that Riccardo was beginning to regain his footing.  
>"Grrr... miserable little..." The powder's burning effect was beginning to wear off, Fiona knew she had to get out.<br>With a quick motion, she reached inside her boot and pulled out a piece of beef jerky that she had found in the  
>large freak's, that seemingly wasn't around at the moment, small hut. "Hurry boy!"<br>Fiona urged on as Hewie quickly ate up his meaty treat. _  
>Huh... a lot better! Let's get out of here!<br>_The German Shepard barked excitedly and ran down the stairs, seemingly motioning that Fiona follow him.  
>She started to trail right after him but a thought stopped her in her tracks.<p>

"Dante..." She couldn't just leave him there, not after all that he's done to help her.  
>She quickly turned around to face the door, but instead was face to face with none other than Riccardo.<br>"Miss... I think you're overreacting. You must be exhausted, perhaps a nice..." He trailed off his words as he then reached  
>inside the front pocket of his brown, hooded garb, "...Rest could do you well." With that, he flung his flint pistol out and slammed it<br>against the young girl's cranium. "No... stop..." Her eyes grew weaker and weaker, her vision dimmer and dimmer.  
>"I can't let you..." She caught a glimpse of the embroidered insignia on the glaring keeper's garb before everything fell dark.<p>

...

"Aw... man..."  
>A simmering light emitting from the calmed embers of the fireplace dimmed the surroundings,<br>Dante soon remembered where he was. "Ahh, that's right." The demon hunter snapped up his laying position.  
>"Hey babe, mind turning on the lights?" He scratched his head after a moment of no response, "Hello?"<br>Dante's sleepily cracked voice echoed throughout the ominously still room. "Huh... I wonder where she ran off to..."  
>Still a bit groggy from his stomach-turning meal, Dante staggered out of bed and slowly analyzed his surroundings.<br>He chuckled to himself as he shook his head and re-sheathed his longsword.

"This just keeps getting better and better." 


	7. Enter: Creepy Maids?

_Of all the places to lose a cute babe like that..._  
>Dante was walking around in what seemed like giant cirles, the castle was huge.<p>

"Tch, I've explored bigger places than this." Dante remembered when fate befell him, or should I say,  
>it erected itself as a giant tower. <em>Temen Ni Gru.<em> Enough on that though, Dante had bigger problems to worry about.  
>Like what happened to that indeed cute babe, Fiona. Where could she have run off to?<br>One moment she's caring for him, the next she's go- _BOOM! BOOM BOOM!_

"What the-!" Dante turned around, and was face to face with that huge beast that was chasing Fiona.  
>He looked like an ogre, troll, something. He ain't human. That's what Dante noticed first.<br>But he wasn't a demon, so he knew it wouldn't take much for him to be out of Dante's hair.  
>"Hey big guy, you're kinda cute."<br>"?" The giant, goofy enemy looked confused at Dante's words.  
>"Sucks I'll have to take ya out, though. Unless you know where that, uh, girl Fiona i-"<br>"_FIONA!_" Debilitas bellowed out then started smacking his own head like a two year old in a tantrum.  
>Dante was taken aback a bit but soon regained posture, "Y-Yeah, a fan huh? Well, she is pretty smokin'." Dante thoughtfully rubbed at his chin.<br>"NO NO, FIONA _MINE_!" Debilitas took a thunderous swipe at the red-clad hero but when he focused around himself, Dante was gone.  
><em>Tap, tap...<em> "Ehhh...?" The ogre-like gardener turned his head around and there he was. Dante. With that more-than-familiar smug look  
>on his face. "Yoo-hoo, I think you were lookin' for me."<br>"BAH!" Debilitas turned around quickly and then got on his knees, seemingly crying.  
>Not really seemingly, it was obvious. And it was loud.<br>"WAAAAAH!" He seemed to be pleading for his life or something. Perhaps he saw Dante's sword. Or maybe he's scared of white hair.  
>Who knows. Dante started to panicfully look around behind him, as that loud bellowing could actually muster up a serious threat.<br>He turned back and shook Debilitas' shoulders around to get his attention, "Hey, hey, cool it, tubby. Don't be getting soft on me!"  
>Dante, with sweat beads falling from his forehead like Ebony and Ivory's bullets, took a breath of relief when the crying suddenly ceased.<br>"?" He looked down and was greated by a smiling face. A very creepy, deformed smiling face. One only mothers love.  
>"HahaHAHA!" Debilitas looked and well, sounded relieved the scary, red man wasn't going to hurt him.<br>But he was still, however, mad at Dante for making remarks about _"his Dolly"_. He looked down, a bit sour now.  
>"Me no tell you where Fiona is!" He pushed Dante away slightly and crossed his arms in a pouty position.<br>Dante, however, wasn't in the mood for childish games, "Wait, wait, fatso. So, you're tellin' me you _know_ where she is?"  
>He wasn't known to be the patient type and when the big softy smiled and nodded his head childishly, that only pissed him off<br>moreso. "Come on, ya big APE. Tell me where she is, then!" Debilitas looked up from his little two year old stance and noticed  
>the look in Dante's eyes were a lot different than the relaxed, cool eyes he just saw. And then the gleam of his sword hit him back and-<br>"Awwright, AWWRIGHT! Mean guy took her to the cweepy tower, uh huh, uh huh!" He got overexcited and started back in his pleading position.  
>"T-Tower? What are you on about, fatso?" Dante pushed back on the giant's pleading, praying hands and cleared his throat.<br>_Alright, so there's a tower here now? This whole friggin' place is a tower..._ The silver-haired dude with the moves could always style  
>his way out of things, he's a lot smarter than he acts and is a lot more adaptable than he looks. But he didn't remember seeing any tower.<br>Lost in thought, he forgot all about that big, whiny brute but soon his memory refreshed itself for him. "Yo, so I- ehh?" He looked down from thought,  
>noticing no big fatso anywhere near him. Surely he would have heard THAT guy walk away. The only thing in front of him was-<br>"Master has sent me to comfort his guests. Master has told me that you... a man... needs to be taken care of accordingly."  
>Standing before him was a tall, drill-haired, pale as snow beauty.<br>"Oh hey, it's that hot maid." Indeed. Daniella, the castle's maid from before, was standing before him. Something foggy and... evil in her gaze.  
>Evil wasn't quite the word... more like it was like she wasn't even there at all. "You know, for a hot chick, you make really crappy food."<br>She tilted her head slightly at Dante's rambling's, "I felt like I was _dyin' _in there! The least you coulda done was to tell me where the bathrooms are if all you do  
>all day is make food that makes you wanna puke your damn guts off. Sheesh lady, I've eaten moldy pizza that tasted better than tha...!" As Dante was getting out of his rant to make sure he was being heard, he looked down and his eyes were met back with cold, bright, shiny, more silver than the moon, eyes.<br>And a cold fingertip gently went up to his left cheek, stroking it slightly. "Master never told me someone that talks so much existed."  
>The maid said coldly. Dante hitched something in his throat a little from how sudden the maid's gesture was. "Wh... what's that supposed to mean!?"<br>A bright flush was unknowingly starting to fill Dante's cheeks, as it did so, Daniella averted her eyes to them and paid full attention to the sudden,  
>pinkish hue overwhelming the man's face. Dante followed her eyes down to his face and then let out a slight gasp of hot breath.<br>"Sh-Shouldn't you be makin' crappy food instead of harassin' your guests. It's freakin' rude, you know..."  
>Daniella quickly stopped examining the red-clad, and quitely so, red-faced Dante and slowly pulled her pale hand away, returning it to be rested<br>atop her other hand, neatly folded on the front of her apron. "Master says never to be rude..." She looked down, like a wave of shame washed over her.  
>Her monotone voice never gained emotion though, but it seemed she looked geniunely guilty.<br>Dante looked up, trying to pull a serious mask over his embarrassed and bothered looking face. "Master, huh? Hey who is this 'Master' dude, anyway?"  
>He unfolded his arms and tried to look for her eyes covered under the dark shadow of the quite defined fringe of her hair.<br>"Because he's gonna have hell to pay when I get my hands on him. I've been looking everywhere for someone that knows a damn about this  
>hedgemaze and now this is the first I'm hearing of a <em>Master<em>!? Lady, you better start talkin', or I'm gonna be-" "Hit me."  
>Her words were a clean cut compared to Dante's. But they were loud in his ears, like someone stabbed his eardrums or something with the words.<br>"Wh-What!?" He was taken aback, even going as far to stepping back and making sure this was reality in front of him.  
>"Master says I need punished when I am bad. Please, hit me. It is so I can learn." Dante felt his face flush even further and quickly averted his eyes<br>away from the seemingly lifeless maid. "Are y-you freakin' kidding me, this whole place is full of freaks!" He hid his face in his hand and shook his head.  
>"Don't worry," Her cold voice echoing in Dante's ears again, "I cannot feel pain. So you cannot hurt me if you wish to punish me." She was looking at him,<br>directly in the eyes now. Dante hadn't noticed how close their faces were, it was a few good inches, yeah, but in this moment it seemed too close.  
>"Y-Yeah, cool story, broad but I'm looking for... uh, what's her name..." Dante was starting to bead sweat again, his eyes doing their best to not make contact<br>with the maid's. His efforts at changing the subject seemed quite futile though, as Daniella seemed to just cock her head and leave him hanging.  
>"You know, th-the blonde babe everyone's after, come on lady." "Ah." She spoke in her usual monotone voice, but it seemed to be fueled with a new<br>emotion. "Yes. Miss Fiona. Am I correct?" It seemed hateful.  
>Dante tried his best at shaking away the flush overwhelming his body and looked her back in the eyes. "Yeah, that's her! Where the living hell is she?"<br>The maid never gained an expression, her eyes were as cold as ever, but if someone where an expert on face/body language, they'd tell you  
>that she was about to take someone's head off. Dante noticed this just now, too. "Hey are, uh... you okay?" He toned down his voice a bit.<br>_Maybe I'm bein' too pushy, who knows what hell this chick goes through working for these creeps. _Trying to regain focus, Dante looked at her  
>in the eyes again. "It's because she's real, isn't it." The purple-haired maiden slowly mustered out of her voicebox, "Huh?" The one facing her,<br>Dante, looked really damn puzzled at her sudden remark. "Real? What? Look, I just need to find her because my homicidal, kook brother is-"  
>"It's because she can be warm, correct? When you felt me, all you felt was something that is hard and cold."<br>"?" Dante took a few steps back and bumped into the wall behind him a little, "Well, heh, i-it is kinda breezy in here." He didn't really know what to  
>say back, he was just in shock all this was happening right now. Maybe he was still asleep and Fiona was right there beside him, safe and sound.<br>_What the hell did this chick feed me...? _Yeah, maybe it was a reaction to the food, maybe it was some hallucinating reaction to some  
>weird allergy Dante didn't even know he had. <em>Wait, can I even GET allergies...?<em>  
>"She is a real woman, you are a real man. You have no desire to even consider me because of that fact, yes?" Dante regained posture the<br>best he could, but her words started making him remember how warm Fiona's hands felt on him as she was comforting him.  
>And how cute she looked in those tight clothes. Maybe fatso was right, she looked just like a doll. No. She looked like a hot chick.<br>The maid in front of him right now, with the purple hair and the super slim frame? Now she was a doll. She looked almost inhuman.  
>So slender, so intricate. Like she was made to look like the perfect woman. Her eyes, they were like deep diamonds. They were so piercing.<br>Yet so lifeless. _Stop it, stop it, stop it MAN. Get it together!_  
>Dante was so deep in thought he didn't even realize Daniella was pressed up against him on that wall, and she was right.<br>She did feel hard. And bony. You don't expect a chick that skinny to have very much meat on her, but damn.  
>Dante quickly tried to fold his arms to gather some distance away from her but to his shock, her chest was right on his. He couldn't move at all and<br>just looked into her dead, silver eyes. Her pupils never seemed to change shape. They were just cold, in one small shape. Even in a dark hallway like this.  
>Dante's, however were round like saucers. Partly because of the dim atmosphere and partly because of the situation he was in.<br>He wanted to talk but all that was escaping his mouth were shallow, hot pants of breath. He wanted to say something but his eyes were too fixated on the  
>maid's. He bit his bottom lip a little to muffle his breath, but that only made it come out more.<br>Without warning, Dante felt a cold, hard fingertip slowly make its way up his exposed abdomen, it made him let out a very quiet gasp.  
>"Are you thinking of her? Of that... woman. Your body is changing color again, Master." Dante couldn't speak, he didn't know who she was talking about.<br>Oh yeah, Fiona, right? That's her name? Well, he did think she had a nice, curvy body. I mean, for a chance to trail your fingers across her  
>large, voluptuous hips would be to die for... or a chance to feel those soft, warm, pink lips on your fingerti- <em>AH! What are you doin', man!<em>  
>Was she doing this to him on purpose? Maybe behind her never-changing, cold exterior, she was secretly enjoying this immensly.<br>"I can tell. It is all right. A man has his many desires. But none reserved for me. I suppose I'm like a puppet. A doll, Master. Do you understand?"  
>"Do you understand that this is why you are thinking of her and not me at the moment? Because she is real. She has real... insides. And outsides."<br>"She can feel joy, heartbreak, regret, disappointment... pain. Superficial, artificial. But I, Master, cannot. I cannot feel joy... pain... a man."  
>"All that I can feel, Sir, is the desire to listen to a man. Do his... bidding." All that Dante felt, right now, were chills. The creeps.<br>Something else... but mostly a deep fear hit him somewhere inside. Not that Dante can be afraid, come on now, but something spooky was going on with  
>this chick. And he didn't like it. Not one bit. After an intense battle inside himself on whether or not to cut the maid off, he decided right now would<br>be a damn good time. "Look, toots... I ain't your master. That dude, I'm looking for him. Now, if ya kindly, can you, uh, point me in his direction?"  
>Daniella, the cold-gazed, cold, hard maid, locked her eyes more intensely with Dante's. Seemingly scouring him, trying to get some sort of read on him.<br>"All men here are my Masters. I am but a servant. But there is one special Master that I cannot speak of. He is telling me, right now, to be wary of you.  
>Not to tell you anything you need, sir. And nothing about him." Dante, looking more confused, if that's even possible, felt impatient and annoyed again.<br>"Whaddya mean 'right now'!? Look, babe, I don't have time for this crap!" Dante felt his cloudy head clearing up and remembered right quick what his  
>ambitions were again. He needed to find that blonde babe and fast. Daniella coldly averted her eyes from the young demon hunter and towards<br>a large painting behind the duo. One that looked vastly similar to the one in the room Dante passed out in. A fairly elderly man, coldly gazing out  
>towards the viewers.<p>

Something pinged in his chest once he, too, locked eyes with it. _What the hell, it looks like it's watchin' me..._  
>Dante, quickly turning his attention from the eyes of the painting and back to the maid, blaming his bad feeling on being this close to a real creepy lady.<br>She, too, was gone now. "What! What the hell!?" Dante, now even more impatient and annoyed looked all around his being, he didn't even feel her leave.  
>He didn't hear her, nothing. She just vanished. Like a ghost. "What the hell, is this place full of goddamn trapdoors, am I missin' something!?"<br>He defeatedly adjusted the sword on his back to stand it upright and then looked back at the ominous painting that Daniella was so fixated on.  
>He didn't feel creeped out at all this time, so maybe he was right about it just being the situation.<br>Maybe. But even then, he's still not even within arm's reach of Fiona yet. And he had to find her. He knew, too, Vergil was out there looking for her.  
>For all the wrong reasons.<p>

Hewie knew the time had come to get up.  
>He was passed out, his furry body laying motionlessly on cold, hard floor. <em>Fiona... <em>The canine thought deep inside his heart.  
><em>Fiona, I miust... save her! She saved me, it's the best I can do for her! <em>His ambitions were screaming inside him.  
>It felt really painful to get up from deep sleep, it felt painful to move. But dogs have more heart than anything, they know they have to do it.<br>They have to do absolutely anything. ANYTHING for the ones that love them and they also love. He could do it, he knew it.  
>Someone, most likely Riccardo, had done a number on the poor doggie. The big, white German Shepard had a body like a tank, though.<br>He made it through the whipping and being shot at. Now all he had to do was get up. Fiona was all that his heart was telling him.  
><em>Fiona... Fiona... Fiona! <em>With a slight whimper and a great deal of struggling, Hewie made it to his paws. All four stretched out, with a  
>newfound strength. He could do it, he knew it. Then, suddenly, his nose went insane. Something sweet, meaty and delicious was incasing itself in<br>his jet black nose and he could almost taste it! It was a discarded package of beef jerky. Presumabley left there by the gardener, Debilitas.  
>He loved jerky, almost as much as Hewie did. But unlike Hewie, he's quite the slob and doesn't even finish his food. And there it was.<br>A half-bag of jerky, just waiting for good doggies to gobble up. And Hewie knew that the jerky was the very strength he needed.  
>If he had that, he could take on anything. Especially save Fiona. <p>


End file.
